What's this? An episode of To the Batpoles that isn't about Batman? Well…on the surface, no, it isn't. But in Ahoy Comics' series "The Wrong Earth," Dragonflyman and Stinger act an awful lot like the '66 versions of Batman and Robin, and the Dragonfly seems very similar to Frank Miller's Dark Knight! Liberated of the copyright owner's limitations on how Batman and Robin can be used, what are writer Tom Peyer and artist Jamal Igle saying about Batman with this series?

Also in this episode, back from the mists of time, an installment of the Batman Radio Show, starring Tim (age 10) and Paul (age 7)!

Guys--a very unusual episode, but a breath of fresh, non-3rd season air!

"The Wrong Earth" review was fun, and it remanded me of the kind of alternate world stories (or "Imaginary Stories") DC used to publish long ago, like the "Sons" of Superman and Batman feature in World's Finest. Certainly not as light as the DC stuff, but the "close enough" vibe is there.

Now for the heart of the show--your radio show should not make you cringe at all! Not only is it sort of sweet, but interesting in the way kids interpret TV or comic book characters and their world. I used to play Batman and Robin with my brothers, and it was just as funny and inventive, especially when we turned common household items into Bat-gadgets, or pretend the bed was the Batmobile, and by jumping off of it, like magic, we were anywhere--police headquarters, a villain's lair--anywhere.

We used to record TV themes and soundtracks often, and oh, how I used to grit my teeth anytime I was trying to record a show's end credits theme, and some announcer would blurt out, "Stay tuned for those wacky castaways on Gilligan's Island!" or another silly sitcom. Yeah, grrrr!

Fun show, guys. I was very engaged with the episode even with my lack of familiarity with The Wrong Earth. It was a lively and interesting discussion.

Some comments:

I liked Paul's comment on 'Winged Warhorse.' I definitely could hear Neil Hamilton saying that, yes. ... Tim's comment about the 'face fall off free for all' cracked me up. I, too, remember being freaked out when the fembots' faceplates would fall off on the Bionic Woman. ... Is there a '66 analog for the Queen of Crime? ... Paul made an interesting point about the moll-turned villainess being concerned with the well-being of Stinger, the Robin analog. (Doesn't sound like Newmar's Catwoman, I'll say.)

I understand the idea that Batman is defending the rights of the rich and powerful in '66, but I am not sure I agree totally. Although the Londinium arc sure would support that belief.

Also, as far as the mailbag, I understand that if you read the entire thread from the Dozier/Oscar episode your show would have been about three hours long. But I would be interested in hearing you guys address, either here or in a future mailbag, this observation by epaddon, which I found quite thought-provoking.

EDIT: Your vintage show was entertaining. Great sound effects!

I had a Pioneer cassette recorder. Used it to tape the weekly NFL highlights show because I liked the music cues they used. Still like that music to this day, but now I don't need my cassette tapes.

Bennett asked a very good question in his memo on the pilot about why Riddler never thinks of taking Robin's mask off, and this of course was something that I thought stuck out like a sore thumb even *more* in "That Darn Catwoman" in S2 when Catwoman never once asks Robin to take his mask off. Dozier's response on this point frankly is weak where he says that Riddler couldn't care less who Robin is--he would rather unmask Batman.
But wouldn't unmasking Robin logically provide him with a pretty darn good idea who Batman is????? Dozier's response that "this is a dangerous can of peas to open" is pretty much a cop-out. The clever way around it would be Riddler not wanting to do it because it wouldn't be "playing fair" in the sense that he wants to find out Batman's identity *his* way and not by resorting to a quick and easy way of doing it. Villain ego is a very easy reason to get around that "can of peas" as it were.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17

I think Dozier gave a good response for the character. Having Molly pull Robin's mask off is like skipping dinner and eating the appetizer. What a let down for the Prince of Puzzlers. He really was fixated on the whole court unmasking, using the law to defeat its most honest protector.

For a more general perspective, I don't think it's a cop-out.

My guess is Dozier recognized the question isn't valid to the series they were producing.

Certain elements were fundamental to the show and the viewer and creators either accepted them or weren't a part of it as viewer or creator. One of these basic blocks would be ignoring why they didn't just unmask the heroes when they had them captured. Same with why didn't they just shoot them instead of putting them inside a smokestack. Or Frosty Freezy. Or Giant Clam. Or...

It's like Gilligan's Island, you accept more often than not Gilligan will mess things up and if someone has a problem with that, they're probably not the audience. Or enjoy punishing themselves. Holy Masochism!

I'm sure they could've created some reason why they can't be unmasked.

Bat-Mask Adhesive anyone? But I figure they were churnin' these suckas out. Holy Sinister Syndication Number!

But wait! Just wait a second old chum, in the first Joker episode he threatens to unmask them. Why was this allowed? Holy Inconsistency!

Maybe because it was a spontaneous act by the Joker instead of an elaborate death-trap or captive situation. Or maybe it was early in the show's creation that this slipped by. Or maybe it was all right as a cliffhanger moment used once and not re-visited I don't think till Egghead.

And it was okay with Hatter because that's his whole gimmick more or less.

If I had recorded my youthful Batman adventures on tape instead of running around in the yard with a towel on or playing with my Megos, I might be a podcaster today. I'm probably glad that didn't happen because I don't think there would be too big an audience for Gotham City Hillbillies.

I enjoyed the look at the comic series. This is something I haven't read but will definitely check out once it is completed. I always wait for the collections of rare few new comics that I do read. Thanks for making us aware of Wrong Earth.

But wait! Just wait a second old chum, in the first Joker episode he threatens to unmask them. Why was this allowed? Holy Inconsistency!

Maybe because it was a spontaneous act by the Joker instead of an elaborate death-trap or captive situation. Or maybe it was early in the show's creation that this slipped by. Or maybe it was all right as a cliffhanger moment used once and not re-visited I don't think till Egghead.

One thing I can say right off the back harks back to our "Bat-Coffee-Table Book" episode (#55), where we discussed "Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series" by Bob Garcia and Joe Desris. On page 121, it says:

"On January 31, Dozier wrote a cogent note to Horwitz, Semple, D'Angelo and FitzSimons about the cliffhanger in the Joker episode shot [for a couple of reasons I think the verb should be "broadcast"] the week before. 'The cliffhanger in last week's JOKER was noticeably weak...we must be certain always to have a recognizable PHYSICAL jeopardy at the end of episode one, and almost always involving either Batman or Robin, or both." THE JOKER IS WILD/BATMAN IS RILED broadcast January 26 & 27. So it looks to me like Dozier didn't like unmasking as a cliffhanger. In Egghead, they threw in physical danger on top of blowing his secret identity -- his brain would be turned to mush!

But wait! Just wait a second old chum, in the first Joker episode he threatens to unmask them. Why was this allowed? Holy Inconsistency!

Maybe because it was a spontaneous act by the Joker instead of an elaborate death-trap or captive situation. Or maybe it was early in the show's creation that this slipped by. Or maybe it was all right as a cliffhanger moment used once and not re-visited I don't think till Egghead.

One thing I can say right off the back harks back to our "Bat-Coffee-Table Book" episode (#55), where we discussed "Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series" by Bob Garcia and Joe Desris. On page 121, it says:

So it looks to me like Dozier didn't like unmasking as a cliffhanger. In Egghead, they threw in physical danger on top of blowing his secret identity -- his brain would be turned to mush!

I just saw this now! Thanks for the info. Good point about Egghead's mush, ha ha! Just the way you typed that cracked me up. I guess it's why Hatter could get away with it as his episodes all involved physical danger.

I wonder if anyone who made the show had an inkling their work would be viewed let alone discussed so many years later.

Personally, I never cared for the attempted unmasking myself, but for one episode like this it's fine.

cheers and thanks again for all the scripts! Yes, more scripts! Very generous of you guys.